Young Indians (Yi), an arm of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has organised the 3rd Young India National Summit 2007 on February 2 and 3, 2007 which aims to be the voice of young Indians globally and provide them a platform to realise the dream of a developed India. The four-year-old movement is made up of 14 chapters across the country, with 750 members aged 25-40.

CHENNAI, India (RNS) Roman Catholic priests in some districts of West Bengal, India, have punished Christians who were found to be forcing minors into marriage.

Catholics who allowed children to be married have even been excommunicated, according to a BBC News report from Kolkata. Their children have been denied baptism and the "guilty" families have been barred from attending church functions.

The Sri Jagannath temple in Puri, India, has seen an increase in revenue over the past two years due to recent administrative reforms, but the temple also intends to dispose of tens of thousands of acres of land that is currently in unauthorized use by others.

Canadian-based studio Syncere Arts is working on an action-adventure game based on the Mahabharata, an epic tale in Indian mythology. Mahabharata: The Dawn of Kaliyuga aims to let players feel as powerful as the ancient warriors while still providing a good challenge.

New Delhi, Sept. 13: The government will rewrite its affidavit on Lord Ram in a bid to avert a political Delhidahan, the fate that befell Lanka for crossing his path. Prodded by Sonia Gandhi, the Centre and the Congress today declared that Ram was a historical figure and not a mythological “character” as the affidavit recently suggested in the Supreme Court.

An ad in the NY Times caught my attention. It runs for a full three pages in the Sept 25th issue, touting the glories of India's contributions to the world. There's a bold headline: Experience India In New York, announcing a series of cultural events and conferences. The ad has its token images of sitar players and Bharatnatyam dancers along with pictures of business execs in ties. The ad's real intent is not to introduce Indian culture to the West, but rather to broadcast how India is adapting to Western culture so magnificently.

NEW DELHI - Hate your name? In India, chances are your parents, neighbours, well-meaning relatives, religious tradition, and even the Internet, are all to blame. Indians love naming babies, be it their own or someone else's, with the hunt starting soon after a child is conceived.

As of late, in the year 2007, the idea of whether Lord Rama exists or not has been called into question, by no less than some of the politicians in India. So it is a wonder how such persons can be accepted as leaders of the people of India who should be concerned with preserving and protecting the culture of the country.

Basava Premanand has been burgled… again. It is the third time in just one month. But he is in no doubt of the thieves’ motives. He suspects they were looking for evidence that he has collected for over 30 years against India’s leading spiritual guru, Sri Satya Sai Baba. Mr Premanand believes this evidence proves the self-proclaimed “God-man”, Sai Baba, is not just a fraud, but a dangerous sexual abuser.

NEW DELHI: Buying a new car? What about going to a dealer who, along with freebies, offers a free puja for the car with a priest in attendance? As priests hop from household to household performing pujas in the capital, they now have a new job opening, performing quick puja for the customers at showrooms before they drive away with the four-wheeler.

Andhra Pradesh, India – At 3:30am on Sunday January 20, devotees at ISKCON's Sri Sri Radha Syama Sundar Mandir in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, rose as usual for their early morning prayers. But things took a far from normal turn when temple resident Jagannath Das opened a bolted door and discovered fellow devotee Lakshmivan Das on the floor in a pool of blood.

Hubli, Karnataka, India: A suspected militant arrested in January 2008 has told police that he was to carry out bomb blasts in 11 places in Karnataka and Goa, including IT campuses and the ISKCON temple, but could not do so as RDX [explosive nitroamine widely used in military and industrial applications] from Pakistan failed to reach him.

Indian brokers at the Bombay Stock Exchange are calling on the authorities to bring in religious experts to change the direction of a bronze bull statue.
They say the posterior of the bull, placed at the footsteps of the exchange building, points towards the traders which makes it inauspicious.

Srila Prabhupada's 12 temple vision for Delhi is coming to life, as devotees in the satellite city of Ghaziabad open temple number seven. The Delhi area is one of the ripest areas in the world for reaching people – it has a population of 11.5 million in the city, and an extended metropolitan population of almost 22 million.

Mayapur ISKCON devotees took their seventy-strong devotional chanting party, complete with sacred food to distribute, to Krishnanagar this April 26. The town is the administrative head quarters of Nadia District in West Bengal, and is famous as the place where Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura worked as a magistrate while re-discovering Navadvipa’s holy places.

"Krishna has saved me" said Avadhuta-priya devi dasi, a devotee of Lord Krishna, referring to her incredible escape from a series of terrorist bomb blasts that tore through crowded shopping areas of Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan in India's north.

Jai Shree Krishna, a new show on Krishna will hit the TV screens on July 21. Though Krishna has not been finalized, the rest of the star cast has already started the shoot. The producer of the show Moti Sagar gave us the details. ”We made Krishna in the 90’s but a lot has changed now so we felt the need to come up with a new series.

As a young man in Lille, France, Anandamaya Dasa probably never expected to live most of his adult life in India. But in 1971, he took an epic journey that would change his life, driving thousands of miles from his home to the mystical Eastern country, where he planned to spend a year traveling.

Iskcon is enlisting its ex-IIT devotees to conduct stress management sessions at its Rathyatra fair on the Park Circus Maidan this year. Responding to the increasing number of suicides and stress-related diseases among the youth, the Krishna devotees have decided to highlight the malaise in society and offer stress management solutions through its Iskcon Youth Forum.

The Tirumala temple, in the south Indian city of Tirupathi, is one of Hinduism's holiest shrines. Over 5,000 pilgrims a day visit this city of seven hills, filling Tirumala's coffers with donations and making it India's richest temple. But since 2002, Tirumala has also been generating revenue from a less likely source: carbon credits. For decades, the temple's community kitchen has fed nearly 15,000 people, cooking 30,000 meals a day.

MUMBAI, INDIA (IT) — Colors to advertise new TV channel and "mythological" Jai Sri Krishna in both McDonalds and ISKCON temples. Colors, the new entrant in the Hindi general entertainment GEC) space, has a launch marketing and promotion budget of Rs 350-450 million, sources in the industry say. The plan includes a high profile coverage in top 90 cities and towns, spread across the Hindi speaking markets.

This year, the city of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, India, saw the world-famous Ratha Yatra festival parade down its streets for the second time.
The deities of Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra were as glorious and colorful as ever, blessing enthusiastic onlookers and devotees alike.

Udupi Sept 3: Sugunendra Tirtha Swamiji of Paryaya Puttige Math said on Tuesday that four anti-blast devices had been installed to protect the sanctum sanctorum of the Sri Krishna Math/Temple.

Addressing presspersons here, the swamiji said that these devices would prevent explosions through wireless devices. The devices had been installed by V. Rakshaa Company which would also look after their maintenance, he added.

The World has adopted many great concepts, which originated in India. Be it the core of mathematics--Zero--or the way to healthy living--Yoga. Similarly the Bhagwad Gita is one of the most famous spiritual classics in the world. ISKCON attempts to unlock all the secrets of the ancient knowledge of the Gita and places them before us as an exciting opportunity for self-improvement and spiritual fulfillment.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit took an hour out to visit the ISKCON Delhi temple this Janmastami. She was received by Gopal Krishna Goswami, who brought her to see the deities of Sri Sri Radha Parthasarathi and Gaura Nitai. Over fifteen media outlets telecasted the visit live.

You may have seen in the movies or even read in books about ‘911’, the number the United States denizens dial for emergency situations. Now a similar service is being introduced in India by the Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI), which is about to launch this service in Madhya Pradesh. In a recent statement, Health minister Ambumani Ramadoss was told by Union Telecom minister A. Raja that 108 is being finalized as the national toll free trauma care number.

Agra, Sep 24 (IANS) Thousands of people have been flocking to see the river Yamuna flowing with full gusto right next to the magnificent Taj Mahal - a rare sight in Agra as the river is mostly dry and is often described as an ‘open drain’ or the ’sewage canal’. The river is in spate and people can be seen spending hours at the banks admiring the natural beauty and the return of aquatic animals to the Yamuna.

Time Broadband has entered into an understanding with ISKCON to provide spiritual discourses on their forthcoming IPTV platform. ISKCON would produce 400-500 hours of content per year, said founder of ISKCON's broadcast ITV Haridas Prabhu.

On 13 September 2008, devotees from ISKCON center in Ludhiana paid a visit to Central Jail where young men in the age group 18-25 years are imprisoned. This was not the first time that inmates of Central Jail got a chance to free their souls despite being under arrest for various crimes. Devotees regularly visit the Central Jail to engage the prisoners in various devotional activities including meditation through chanting the names of Lord.

The world’s biggest ban on public smoking came into effect in India on 2 October 2008. The Indian central government notification issued on May 30 bans smoking in all public places in India and is the government’s second try in four years to ban smoking.

We aren't living in 13th century India, where wandering saints pined for the divine. Yet, can you write Bhakti off? Hardly. It has weathered all 'isms' to enter markets in a commercial avatar that keeps pace with time.

On the occasion of Dusshera, the students and teachers of Bhaktivedanta Swami Mission School in Mumbai burned an effigy of Ravana.
The celebration of Dusshera, also known as Vijayadashami, marks the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana, the ten-headed king of Lanka, who had abducted Rama's wife, Sita. It also symbolizes the triumph of Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon, Mahishasura.

Indian President Pratibha Patil today said that the uncertainty and fear around the world caused by terrorism and religious hatred could be dealt with by spreading the age-old philosophy of Indian saints.

Every second Saturday of the month, a small office near the City Light cinema in Mumbai comes alive with peals of laughter, excited chatter and lively discussions. Eighteen women drivers, part of an all-women taxi service called ‘Forsche’, are busy exchanging notes and narrating their experiences of the month gone by over a sumptuous meal.

Patience is the key that defines facilitating others' survival more than your own. Earth, mother we call her, symbolises that element of life. She lets the barbarian exploit her boons and the bliss, and waits for a millennium to show she is angry.

Sahdeva Dasa of ISKCON Secunderabad, on October 23rd, received his doctorate in Krishna consciousness from Sri N.D.Tiwari, Governor of Andhra Pradesh, India. In a convocation, held at Rajbhavan Hyderabad, the assembled media and academic community watched a saffron robed Hare Krishna walk in with gown and hood to receive his doctorate.

The 2nd of November marked the anniversary of His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's passing away or 'disappearance day'. The ISKCON temple in Ludhiana, India observed the occasion, known in sanskrit as tirobhava tithi maha-mahotsava, with great pomp and affection.

In a bid to turn the twin Indian cities of Secunderabad and Hyderabad into a London or New York overnight, the Andhra Pradesh Government invoked the Land Acquisition Act on ISKCON Secunderabad this November 5th.
The Act, which would affect the temple and most of its land, was invoked to widen the main street on which the temple sits.

Ranchi, Dec. 7: He is a devotee of Lord Krishna, who played a mentor and charioteer of Arjun during one of the fiercest battles — the Mahabharat. But, he does not lead the people into battle, instead, helps people and communities resolve conflicts before they get trapped in a cumbersome legal battle.

Odisha is not only a land of magnificent monuments and natural beauties but also a land of colourful fairs and festivals. Every season in Odisha has a variety of occasions to celebrate. In fact, our festivals are as numerous as the days in the year, each with a difference. They unfold a vista of age-old traditions and customs, rites and rituals, dance and delicacies.

HOWRAH STATION in Calcutta was packed with travelers as I arrived to catch the 3:30 p.m. train to Jangipur. Passengers and porters charged in all directions, some carrying their suitcases or cloth bundles in their hands, some with their baggage on their heads. One man with a chair; another with a stepladder. At my feet, someone was charging his cellphone on the station’s electricity supply.

Not long ago, 19-year-old Sreeja Konidela returned home to Hyderabad from Delhi to attend a family funeral—but didn't get the welcome she expected. Konidela, whose father, Chiranjeevi, is a megastar in the Telugu-language film industry, had been disowned for eloping with Shirish Bharadwaj, 23, who was from a different caste. The two had married on live television last October in a bid to keep Sreeja's father from interfering—they were afraid he'd accuse Bharadwaj of kidnapping her, a common tactic in such cases.

New Delhi, Dec 31 (IANS) Hemant, a part-time hawker, lives behind a roadside temple off Janpath in the heart of the capital. The 18-year-old has a new love - the Aap ki Rasoi (your kitchen) van that makes a stop at India Gate lawns every noon and gives him his one hot meal of the day.”I am alive today only because of this food,” Hemant, a migrant from Chhattisgarh, told IANS.

TIRUPATI: When money talks, `bhakti' takes a backseat. In what could be seen as posing threat to the very existence of a 17th century temple,
unauthorised quarrying works in about 50 acres of the land surrounding the temple are going on at a frenetic pace. The resultant business worth is: a cool Rs 2 crore every year.

During the 1970s, I would get culture shock whenever I went to India. The crowded cities, the heat, the food, the occasional sickness, and the austerities of local travel would painfully remind me that I was a stranger in a foreign land. But as the years passed, my visits became more frequent and I began to feel at home there, especially in places like Vrindavan and Mayapur, where the Lord once performed His transcendental pastimes.

Devotees in Punjab, India kicked off the New Year in true spiritual style with the celebration of “Hare Krishna Nite” at the ISKCON temple in Ludhiana.
Devotees from ISKCON Delhi joined the celebration, which ran from 9pm until midnight. Throughout the night, the festivities built to a crescendo with the enthusiastic chanting of God’s names.

One thousand prisoners, aged between fourteen and twenty-five, attended the ISKCON-organized program at New Delhi’s Tihar Jail on December 18. They were joined by Deputy Inspector General of Prisons Mr. C.R. Garg, Mrs. Garg, and several other senior officers.

The Ganga Sagar Mela is an annual festival that takes place in the area known as Ganga Sagar where Lord Kapiladeva instructed his mother Devahuti under a tree about the Absolute Truth. His temple still standing, far away from the original site, but nonetheless a sacred place. Almost a million people during Makara Sankranti, a very auspicious time of the year, come to worship mother Ganga by offering puja and taking bath in her salty waves.

The Rotary Club of Mumbai Cuffe Parade played the role of a catalyst by connecting GATI, a large Indian transportation and logistics company, with the Mid Day Meal project of Mumbai's ISKCON Food Relief Foundation (IFRF). On Friday the 23rd January Shri Devendra Agarwal, head of GATI, handed over the keys of one large truck to IFRF's director Dr. Radha Krishna Dasa.

What is the relevance of the charming, dark-skinned, flute-playing god, Krishna today - outside the temple altar? Why would any one care to browse through miniature paintings of a cowherd, frolicking amidst bovines and beauties? Or driving a chariot in a mystical battle? Because Krishna gives us ethics (in the Bhagavad Gita), sweetness and unconditional love (Bhagavat Purana).

Aravade India—This small village of 5,000 residents, approximately 250 kilometers south of Pune, Maharashtra, is expected to increase its population 10 fold by the end of today, the last of a four day celebration opening the newest ISKCON temple in India.

Does your Pepsi lack pep? Is your Coke not the real thing? India's Hindu nationalist movement apparently has the answer: a new soft drink made from cow urine. The bovine brew is in the final stages of development by the Cow Protection Department of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), India's biggest and oldest Hindu nationalist group, according to the man who makes it.

Members of ISKCON’s prison outreach team in Vrindavana, India, were in for a surprise when they paid their regular visit to Bharatpur Jail in Rajasthan this February 13 – they arrived to find a group of fifty inmates holding their own Srimad Bhagavatam class.

The Mumbai branch of Rotary International, a humanitarian organization with 32,000 clubs and over 1.2 million members worldwide, organized a charity show this January 29 to honor ISKCON’s Midday Meal Project.

Have you ever thought it would be impossible to visit all of the prominent temples in India? Think again. ‘Kunda Satyanarayana Kala Dhamam’ a Vedic museum on a sprawling 18 acres of land was inaugurated by the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, India a fortnight ago.

P.L. Sethi, a building contractor who assisted Srila Prabhupada in acquiring and building ISKCON’s Juhu temple, passed away on February 16 in Mumbai, India. He was 88.
Although he was never officially initiated into ISKCON, Sethi always regarded Prabhupada as his guru. From the moment the two first met in 1971, Sethi became a life member and a staunch, loyal follower of Srila Prabhupada.

Kolkata-On Sunday February 15th, more than six thousand people participated in the "Prema and Bhakti Sammelen," an all-day forum in honor of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, India's 16th Century saint and avatara.

“God personally came to me! I even gave Him a beautiful flower! It was such a touching experience; so much of my pain is gone. I already feel half cured!” This may sound like an addict hallucinating under the influence of drugs, but no; it is the soulful outburst of a patient (suffering from post operative depression) eulogising the customary practice of bringing a mobile temple, daily, right to the bedside of every single patient at Bhaktivedanta Hospital, Mira Road.

DELHI - The Federation of Indian Chambers Of Commerce and Industry's (FICCI) Ladies Organization along with women from the Inner Wheel Club and Divya Chaya Trust kept their date with the ISKCON Food Relief Foundation on February 28th. A group of fifty ladies reached the internationally certified kitchen of the foundation well in time for the afternoon tour and presentations.

Two Mayapur residents, Jahnudvipa Dasa from Denmark, and his wife Brajasevaki Dasi from Australia, were badly injured in a car crash at Madhyamgram just near the Kolkata airport this morning. A full story will be published this Saturday.

Experts say these colours can harm our skin, hair and can cause respiratory problems too.
Holi is synonymous with smiles, gaiety and colours. However, the chemicals used in coours can be a dampener on spirits.

Visa restrictions for single women traveling to India; 2) Indian visas for Russian female singles; 3) Female, under 45? – No entry. In late December 2008, the Russian electronic media brought bad news for female tourists going to India. Reports were circulating that the Indian Embassy in Moscow stopped granting visas to single women under 45 years of age.

In the first step by a developing country to stop multinational companies patenting traditional remedies from local plants and animals, the Indian government has effectively licensed 200,000 local treatments as "public property" free for anyone to use but no one to sell as a "brand".

This March 11, ISKCON devotees in Ludhiana, Punjab, celebrated the appearance of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who founded Gaudiya Vaishnavism in the fifteenth century.
The festival, popularly known as Gaura Purnima, drew a large, enthusiastic crowd of devotees and congregational members.

ISKCON devotees and the Sri Vaishnava followers of 11th century saint Ramanujacarya came together this March 8 for a “Peace Walk” in Chennai, South India.
The event, organized by ISKCON Chennai and Sri Vaishnava group Saran Darshan, drew over one thousand devotees eager to promote world peace and prosperity.

New Delhi (PTI): Two police officers were injured when a group of people, protesting after discovery of a cow carcasses in their village, pelted stones on police personnel in south Delhi on Saturday. Residents of Dera village in Mehrauli informed police around 6.30 AM that their cows were found slaughtered in the nearby jungle and claimed that their remains were thrown in the village.

Though India is a secular republic, and though secularism commands separation of state and religion, State governments have taken over all prominent Hindu temples and shrines which is an anti-secular act. The best part is that only Hindu temples have been targeted for government control whereas no Christian church or Muslim mosque has been touched.

The two ISKCON Mayapur residents who were badly injured in a car crash on March 12 are steadily recovering after devotees around the world feared the worst. Jahnudvipa Dasa from Denmark and his wife Braja Sevaki Dasi from Australia were rushed to the local Apollo hospital when their taxi collided head-on with a truck near Kolkata airport.

Devotees from ISKCON’s headquarters in Mayapur, India gathered in the nearby town of Shantipur this March 8 to celebrate the annual festival there.
The Shantipur festival is held in the house of fifteenth century saint Advaita Acarya, one of the four primary associates of Shri Chaitanya, the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

UJALA is starving to death. She is four months old but weighs only 1.5 kilograms, about a third of what the World Health Organisation says is normal for her age.
The sagging skin on her tiny limbs and her grossly distended stomach are signs of acute malnutrition. Her hip bones protrude like gross deformities and her face winces with a hacking cough.

Though it may not look it on the ground at times, India is one of the few
bright spots in a global economy with decidedly dim prospects in 2009. It is
forecast to grow at a robust 5 to 6 percent this year—which is faster than
it averaged in the 1990s, and nearly double the rate of expansion over the
country's first three decades of independence.

Members of ISKCON’s Food For Life program where recently invited to a “Sankalp Utsav” festival organized by the Government of Delhi, in Pragati Maidan in the city center.
Delhi Chief Minister Srimati Sheila Dikshit, who inaugurated the function, honored the ISKCON devotees with a request to light the event’s inauguration lamp in front of the assembled electronic and news media.

La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA: “India has emerged as the capital of hunger, because 70 percent of Indian children are severely malnourished. Organic farming is the solution to this hunger,” Dr. Vandana Shiva, an Indian expert of world repute on issues of the environment, women’s rights and international affairs, said. She was the keynote speaker at the largest organic farming conference held here on February 27.

Bangalore, INDIA – In the latest development in the longstanding feud between the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and a breakaway group of devotees who took over the prominent ISKCON temple here, a City Civil Court issued a ruling in favor of the splinter group on Friday, April 17.

PUNE: The Pune rural police have questioned 20 people, having past record of stealing idols from temples, in connection with the theft of an idol [sic] from a temple at Bajarangwadi near Shikrapur. But even after a month of the theft taking place, the police have failed to make any headway in the case. The nearly-200-year-old idol [sic] of Krishna was stolen along with silver ornaments from the temple at Bajarangwadi, about 50 km from Pune, on April 12.

A Full Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today held that courts could enter into “religious thicket” in case of a conflict. Comprising Justice JS Khehar, Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal, the Bench also concluded that “maintaining hair unshorn was an essential component of the Sikh religion”; and that admissions under the Sikh minority community quota could be restricted to candidates maintaining “Sikhi swarup” or keeping their hair unshorn.

Indian beef production is predicted to increase by 5% in 2009. This is reported to be due to strong export demand and rising domestic consumption (ZMP and Brazilian Meat Monitor). According to reports, production of mainly buffalo meat is set to rise to approximately 2.7 million tonnes. Around a third of production (850,000 tonnes) is predicted to be exported, mainly to South East Asia and the Gulf states.

Lord Krishna is portrayed in multiple images as the naughty child, divine lover and eternal philosopher. And television producers and filmmakers are cashing in on his aura to woo audiences.
While TV shows like Jai Shri Krishna and the latest animated show Little Krishna have been entertaining viewers, the big screen has also been abuzz with animated movies like Bal Krishna and Krishna: Aayo Natkhat Nandlal in recent times.

VADODARA: When annual rath yatra of Lord Jagannath passes through the by-lanes of the city on Wednesday, devotees will witness a couple from US joining them with chants of Hare Rama, Hare Krishna, like many other foreign disciples of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) movement over the years.

Pune - A strong believer in Lord Hanuman, businessman Amar Ludhrani visits Hanuman Temple in Camp every Saturday. It is a practice that hasn’t taken a backseat, even when he has the most important business meeting lined up. But with the compounding swine flu scare, Ludhrani doubts that he might have to break the practice he has followed for last 15 years, without fail.

Thousands of devotees gathered at the ISKCON temple in West Bengal's Nadia district as Janmashtami, the festival that marks the birth of Lord Krishna, was celebrated. On Thursday midnight, the exact time when Krishna was born, people prayed at temples, and thousands gathered to sing hymns in the festive atmosphere of Nadia district's Mayapur, housing the global headquarters of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness).

BHUBANESWAR: The all-conquering members of the Oriya dance troupe 'Prince' -- comprising daily wage earners -- may now justly expect a reception fit for kings.
Since the moment Bollywood star Rani Mukherjee announced that the dancers from far-flung Ganjam district in Orissa were the winners of the TV reality show, "India's Got Talent", everybody and his brother in the state is doing a jig.

Pune - Some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are giving up the old fashioned way of raising money for charity from the corporate sector that has of late been facing turbulence. They are going hi-tech to reach out to the masses instead. For starters, they've begun using Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems and mobile-based applications to receive donations over cellphones.

On 20 August 2009 at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi ISKCON's Gopal Krishna Goswami met with India's president Pratibha Devisingh Patil. A copy of the photo book Darshan, featuring images of the deities of ISKCON centers worldwide, was presented along with a flower garland and Maha-prasadam (sanctified food) from ISKCON Delhi's Radha Parthasarathi.

PIPRI VILLAGE, India — Two very different recent scenes from India: At a power breakfast in New Delhi for many of the country’s corporate leaders and top economic officials, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee declared that India had “weathered the storm” of the global economic crisis and was witnessing “green shoots” in industry and services that signaled a return to more rapid growth by next year.

MUMBAI: With Lord Krishna’s blessings, the entire team of Choti Bahu is reeling in the super success of the show which redefined the prime time slot. The cast and crew celebrated the successful completion of 200 episodes by conducting a Puja/Hawan at The Iskcon Temple, Mumbai, as a mark of gratitude to the almighty.

Mr. Premal Thacker (Parmanada Dasa) gifted a copy of Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad Gita As It Is to Mrs. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil earlier this year. It was the first time the President recieved one of Srila Prabhupada's books. She was grateful and kept the copy in her personal temple room.

UDUPI, September 12th: Sushma Swaraj, says that everything Lord Krishna did was to achieve comprehensive and inclusive welfare of everyone in the world. Lord Rama was known for observing principles of righteousness.

MUMBAI: Amy Pearce blushed into her pallu as Rohini Kumar, parikarmi (master of ceremonies), chanted a Sanskrit mantra and then translated it into English: “This means you will have to take good care of all your cows.’’ He then added helpfully: “Hope you have many cows in your backyard.’’

If acting is meant to deliver a message, then that’s what the New Delhi based acting team Vaikunta Players do. The troupe performs plays that bring out the essence of literatures such as the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. The group has performed at several major ISKCON events, but Vaikunta Players are also seen as contributing to inter-religious dialogue. The band was invited to perform at the ‘Church of Transfiguration’, a popular church in New Delhi.

The first-ever All India Communications Conference was held on 28th and 29th September 2009 at ISKCON Juhu.
The Communications Conference, which was preceded by an informative Communications Course conducted by Anuttama Dasa, ISKCON Communications Minister, saw an impressive attendance.

Mathura, Oct.18 (ANI): Hundreds of religious-minded people from different parts of the country arrived in Mathura town of Uttar Pradesh on the occasion of annual Govardhan Puja which was celebrated here on Sunday.
Celebrated on the following day of Diwali, the festival of lights, Govardhan Puja holds its own significance among Hindus.

TIRUPATI: In a major initiative to resurrect devastated lives, the Tirupati unit of International Society of Krsna Consciousness (ISKCON) has announced to meet the basic needs of 1,000 families in the flood-ravaged Kurnool district, India.

I’m confused. For the past 35 years I have been traveling on commercial airlines to India and have become most familiar with the advertising hooks used to lure tourists by the millions annually to that country.

RAJU the bear will never have to smoke cigarettes or dance on his hind legs under the hot sun again thanks to a multinational project to save an endangered species and end a cruel centuries-old tradition in India.

Over one thousand devotees attended a ceremony for installing impressions of the sacred feet of Lord Chaitanya, his associate Nityananda Prabhu and his brother Shri Vishwarupa in Pandharpur, India this January 14th.

A recent lecture tour of India by ISKCON scholar Radhika Ramana Dasa (Dr. Ravi Gupta) could have sparked the impetus to introduce religious studies into Indian university level education—something the country has always shied away from—while at the same time inspiring Indian students to take a deeper look at their ancient spiritual culture.

The Indian military has a new weapon against terrorism: the world's hottest chili.
After conducting tests, the military has decided to use the thumb-sized "bhut jolokia," or "ghost chili," to make tear gas-like hand grenades to immobilize suspects, defense officials said Tuesday.

Delhi-based Sidharth is a prolific artist with characteristic traits and methods. For one, he does not believe in using ready-made paints. He makes his own colors using natural vegetable sources, minerals, clay, organic and inorganic pigments. His studio is lined with bottles in which are kept carefully collected and preserved leaves, barks, berries, herbs, pollen, stamens, iron ores and so on.

Now at the end of its first year of three, ISKCON LEADS’ mission is to systematically train and educate dynamic, cultured, and effective spiritual leaders who will inspire devotees to take ISKCON to the position of world prominence that Srila Prabhupada envisioned.

On the auspicious appearance anniversary of Sita Devi, the consort of Lord Rama, which fell on the 22nd of May this year, ISKCON Indore inaugurated a Prison Preaching Program and organized its first event at the Central Jail in Indore.

India's census, being held in stages over the next year or so, delves into the wealth, living conditions and other personal details of the country's 1.2 billion people. But still undecided is one question — "What is your caste?"

On the day of Aksaya Tritiya in Vrindavan, all large temple deities are covered with chandan (sandalwood) paste, and not a bit of cloth is used to cover the deities in the afternoon. The cooling effect of this substance provides relief from the scorching heat of summer. This practice is also followed increasingly by ISKCON temples all over the world, but it has been observed since time immemorial.

A labourer died due to electrocution while cutting grass at the municipal corporation-run Rane Garden in Juhu on Thursday.
The maintenance of the garden is done by ISKCON Trust where Umesh Paswan (39) was employed.

Up until now, a divorce would in most cases be granted by the courts only if there were mutual consent. Now, the Indian government has proposed a new law, which will make it easier for couples to get divorced.

ISKCON Allahabad had organized a program at the Naini Central Jail. It began with the chanting of the Mahamantra, in which nearly a thousand prisoners, along with prison keepers and officers took part, blissfully singing and dancing.

India’s ability, or inability, in coming decades to improve the lives of the poor will very likely determine if it becomes a global economic power, and a regional rival to China, or if it continues to be compared with Africa in poverty surveys.

Chezi K. Ganesan looks every inch the high-tech entrepreneur, dressed in the Silicon Valley uniform of denim shirt and khaki trousers, slick smartphone close at hand. He splits his time between San Jose and this booming coastal metropolis, running his $6 million a year computer chip-making company.

ISKCON Secunderabad temple, India, regularly hosts classes for various religious communities. n the last training program for Christians in November 2010, 50 senior Christian preachers of Andhra Pradesh came to the temple for three hours of classes on Vaishnava theology and universal religion.

As huge temples such as Mayapur’s Temple of the Vedic Planetarium climb to the sky with much celebration, what could be one of ISKCON’s most important efforts has quietly arrived in Melkote, Karnataka, South India.

“There will be over 1 crore (10 million) people who will fast,” Ramdev told reporters at Delhi’s airport after holding talks with four government ministers, rushed there by the prime minister to urge him to call off his fast.

In India one of the biggest obstacles to get educated is hunger. ISKCON`s mid-day meal project helps tens of thousands school children to build their future and realize their dreams by providing them with fresh and nutritious hot meal daily.

The festival of Radhastami, the appearance of Radharani, is being celebrated at Varsana for almost a week. Crowds of people join to circumambulate the holy place and participate in the festival. A video by Syam Gopal and Vijay Radhika.

Breaking tradition, top American graduates are heading to India to find jobs and opportunity. Many believe that having experience in India is an important addition to their resume in this increasingly globalized world. Some say that its easier to find a good job in India than in the United States, as India's economy is growing while the US economy is predicted to shrink within the next year.

This summer, when 35 million people tuned in to India’s Got Talent—which features Bollywood star judges and is hailed as Asia’s biggest talent show—they probably didn’t expect to see a group of devotees in dhotis and saris, chanting Hare Krishna.

Second generation ISKCON devotee Goura Prema Riggan moved judges and an audience of 35 million on Season 4 of the talent show India’s Got Talent late last year, depicting Queen Draupadi’s surrender to Lord Krishna in one performance.

The environmental battle for the dead river Yamuna continues on with the singing and chanting of the Holy Names of God by hundreds of thousands believers from all over India and abroad, who will join forces in a peaceful protest march starting on March 1st in Vrindavan and concludes in New Delhi 10 days later.

Celebrated Bulgarian street artist Nasimo R' Naste took 3 months off recently to reside in India and study at the Mayapur Temple. In that time he worked on a few murals around the temple campus that reflect the mood and mission of Sri Mayapur Dham. In this video he discusses his work and the spiritual motivation behind it due to the influence of Mayapur. Rather than praising himself Nasimo goes deeper and acknowledges from whom his talent comes from. A must see for any artists, aspiring spiritualists or philosophically inclined individuals.

Five ISKCON devotees were invited to attend the All India Ahimsa Paramo Dharma Awareness Campaign launch in Delhi on September 21st. The launch was held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official home of the President of India Shri Pranab Mukherji.

After a series of successful communication conferences in the Northern, Western and Eastern parts of India, ISKCON Communications conducted its annual "All India conference", at one of the prominent temples in South India, at Sri Radha Govinda temple, Tirupathi.

The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) India invites ISKCON devotees to participate in a 2-day seminar on the “Merits of Organized Book Distribution.” It is scheduled to take place on Jan 31,2014 and Feb 1, 2014 at ISKCON Tirupati. It is being conducted under the expert guidance of Vaisesika Dasa Adhikari.

The May 26th grand swearing-in ceremony of India’s new Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, in the capital city of New Delhi, turned out to be a high-profile event with several head of states, leading businessmen, scholars, spiritual leaders, movie stars and sports players participating in it. ISKCON was also specially invited to this carefully tailored event and was represented by its Indian Communications Director, Vrajendranandan Dasa.

ISKCON Governing Body Commissioner and Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) trustee Gopal Krishna Goswami met the honorable President of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee on 12th June, 2014 at the President’s official residence in New Delhi and presented him the BBT’s deluxe edition of the Bhagavad Gita As It Is along with the maha-prasad of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Parthasarathi.

Founded in 1979, Festival of India has been traveling from city to city putting on festivals and preaching to millions of people in the US. Although there's about 50 tons of festival equipment, what really makes the festivals happen are the 12 to 15 devotees that do the tour. This documentary gives us a glimpse of what these young men do and what happens at Hare Krishna Festivals of India.

An updated edition of Searching For Vedic India by Devamrita Swami is now available as an e-book in all flavors at bbtmedia.com. The sages of India’s lost past delighted in knowledge of the nonmaterial. But they testified that they also knew how to produce material benefits without industry. Dare we consider that the subcontinent of India, thousands of years ago, was the center of the greatest spiritual wisdom and mystical technology that Earth has seen?

Karthiga deepam a festival celebrated in honor of Lord Shiva attracted more than 12 lakh of people at Thiruvanamalai, South India this year. This festival has been attracting millions of pilgrims to this tiny town of for hundreds of years now. In the midst of all this there was one thing that caught a lot of attention, the Bhagavat Gita As it is.

The Initiative is currently focusing on the Munda and Sauntala tribes of the state of Orissa, the Karbi and Dimasar tribes of Assam, the Riang and Tripuri tribes of Tripura, the Mizo tribes of Mizoram, and the Naga tribes of Nagaland.

On my way to the mall a billboard on the street caught my attention. It said: "Can India be the world's bright spot?" Google informed me that this was a question presented by Prime-Minister Narendra Modi to, basically, the society.

Govardhana Puja – the sweetest day of the year – celebrates the day when Lord Krishna as a young boy lifted Govardhana Hill with just His little finger, to protect the residents of Vrindavana village from Lord Indra’s furious thunderstorm. Devotees around the world pour their hearts into their own offerings for the late October festival, engaging their creativity in Krishna’s service to often astonishing effect.

The Vice President of India, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, inaugurated ISKCON's East West Cultural Festival in New Delhi yesterday. The event also saw the Indian premiere of the film Hare Krishna!, written and directed by Yadubara Das and Visakha Dasi.